Libya: Col Muammar Gaddafi buried at dawn in secret location

Col Muammar Gaddafi was buried at an unknown location at dawn on Tuesday,
according to NTC officials.

Officials said earlier that the ousted Libyan leader would be buried in a secret desert grave, ending a wrangle over his rotting corpse that led many to fear for the country's governability.

Transitional government forces had put the body on show in a cold store in Misurata while they argued over what to do with it, until its decay forced them on Monday to end the display.

His son Mutassim is thought to have been buried in the same ceremony. A few relatives and officials were in attendance, according to a Misurata military council official.

Yesterday, the government bowed to international pressure and announced a commission to determine how Gaddafi died after he was cornered in a drain while trying to flee Sirte, his besieged home town.

Mustafa Abdul Jalil, the chairman of the NTC, and other officials have said Gaddafi was killed in crossfire. Mr Jalil said: "In response to international calls, we have started to put in place a commission tasked with investigating the circumstances of Muammar Gaddafi's death in the clash with his circle as he was being captured."

Mr Jalil also yesterday attempted to reassure the NTC's Western backers that the country would be a "moderate" Muslim nation, amid concern over its plans to introduce Islamic law. He appeared to soften his position less than 24 hours after using the liberation ceremony to declare that sharia would be the basis of all legislation.

His attempt at conciliation hinted at the difficulty the NTC is having in balancing the demands of secularists and influential Islamist factions who played a strong role in the uprising.

France and the EU warned the NTC to respect human rights after Mr Jalil's speech on Sunday in which he singled out a ban on polygamy as legislation which would have to be swept aside.

However, Mr Jalil said on Monday: "I would like to assure the international community that we as Libyans are Muslims, but moderate Muslims."

Meanwhile on Tuesday in Sirte, a fuel tank explosion killed more than 100 people less than a week after the despot was captured and killed.

"There was an enormous explosion and a huge fire. More than 100 people were killed and 50 others wounded" in Monday night's blast, National Transitional Council commander Leith Mohammed said.

He said the scene was "a heart wrenching spectacle with dozens of charred bodies."